Are Banks the Hottest New Coffee Shops?

Many of them feature free Wi-Fi.

The food situation at banks is usually limited to the free lollipops they sometimes have at the tellers' station. But that appears to be rapidly changing. According to Eater NY, a new Capital One branch opening in New York City's Union Square will feature a coffee bar open to the public. Crain's New York Business writes that the Capital One 360 Café will serve Peet's coffee and there will be work lounge where "customers can camp out and use free Wi-Fi." There are plans to open more locations of the bank with a café component. The chain also opened an outpost with a café in Boston last year, and has other locations in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

It's not just Capital One that is opening banks-cum-cafés. The State reported in 2013 that a First Citizens Bank that opened in Columbia, S.C. also features a cafe open to the public. It serves locally roasted roasted coffee and pastries, and offers customers free Wi-Fi. So why don't more banks get into the cafe game? Tim Koch, a finance professor at the University of South Carolina, notes that "not many banks do it because it is expensive." While it might not make sense to open a bank cafe in the suburbs, these concepts do well in areas with a lot of foot traffic.

It isn't just banks that are incorporating coffee shops. A number of clothing companies are adding cafe components to their retail stores as well. A Club Monaco in New York City features a Toby Estate's coffee shop and an Urban Outfitters in Brooklyn features a full blown restaurant from chef Ilan Hall.

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